Life is too short to drink bad wine

Sancerre wines are bone dry and perfect for those hot summer evenings. It is also it is perfect with seasonal fresh asparagus. The sauvignon blanc achieves a beautiful minerality in the Kimmeridge layers of Sancerre. The "terre blanches" is exactly the same fossil rich earth that is found in Chablis (Upper Jurassic limestone). This Sancerre is crystal clear with gooseberries, green apples and lime. Lovely bone dry taste packed with well balanced acidity. Serve cold and drink fast! Grilled asparagus and cheese should be perfect matches. Sancerre 2011, Reverdy Ca 15€ or 170 NOK  

This is a map of the east side of the Beaune Premier cru. If you want to know the difference in terroir you should try to taste  different wines from different plots. This is what we did a week ago: - same producer (Albert Morot) - same grape (Pinot Noir) - same year 2007 which meant the difference in the wines only came from the terroir! Bressandes was tasted first then Les Cent Vignes and the then Marconnets close to the A6 from Paris.

This is one of my favorite wines. Bressandes, close to top of the Beaune premier cru hill always has good quality. Medium dark red color and lovely red fruit on the nose. Great velvety long balanced taste. Beautiful stuff! Beaune 1er cru "Bressandes" by Albert Morot About 24€

Another great Beaune premier cru. This is just the plot just a bit further down the hillside. Slightly darker red color and a smell more towards wood berries than red berries. The taste is more tannic and less smooth but still velvety and long. A noticeable change all caused by terroir! Beaune 1er cru "Cent Vignes" 2007 by Albert Morot About 24€

The last wine was from the Marconnets to the far upper corner of the Beaune premier cru. Again very different from the the previous wines: Even darker color. The flavors of the wine is red berries and flowers instead of wooden berries. The taste is bigger , firmer and more acidic but still lovely balanced with a long velvety aftertaste. Great stuff again! 2007 is drinking beautifully now! Beaune 1er cru "Marconnets" by Albert Morot About 24€

Clotilde Davenne probably makes some of the best Petit Chablis that exist. Petit Chablis is the same as Chablis (100% Chardonnay) but comes from parcels of lesser quality than the ordinary Chablis. It's thus normally not as good as Chablis but it is many times cheaper and with producers like Clotilde Davenne it might be difficult to notice the difference between a Petit and normal Chablis. You may just prefer the Petit! It's a fruity and mineral rich wine which is easy to drink. Goes well as an aperitif, with grilled fish or seafood. Petit Chablis 2009, Clotilde Davenne Ca 160 NOK or  ca 12€ Perfect in the warm weather

Another great wine by Rinaldi. This time Nebbiolo. Beautiful deep purple colour without the normal Nebbiolo brick red rim (confusing). Discrete smell of cherries, rose and wood. The taste is just perfectly balanced with soft tannins lovely acidity and fruit. A very stylish wine! Ca 200 NOK or about 15€.

Champion league final today. Had this wine in paris while watching the miracle of Chelsea surviving with 10 men in Barcelona. The 2001 is drinking beautiful now: lovely red berries and pencil case with a velvety taste. Can't ask for more while watching footie. Ch.Poujeaux 2001, Moulis 40€ in Hotel California!!

This is just a superb Barbera d'Alba by Aldo Conterno. Twice the price as a normal Barbera but then again this is twice as good. Deep purple colour. Lovely smell of dark fruit cherries coffee and hints of chocolate. No tannins as usual but an incredible long fruity taste and great balanced acidity. The aftertaste is looong. Wonderful stuff. Ab fab! Barbera does not get better than this. Thanks Aldo Conterno! Nok 290 or around 20-25 €. Barolo prices but who cares?

This Champagne by Roederer is one of the best basic Champagne around. It's a dry Champagne made of the three grapes Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Petit Meunier. Refreshing fruity smell with a attractive complex well balanced taste of apples and pear.  This Brut Champagne is offering you all the quality and glamour you want from Champagne and with the creamy complexity it is delicious fizz very difficult to resist, especially when you see it in the tax free shop. Louis Roederer, Brut Champagne, 380 NOK or 38€, even cheaper at the taxfree

This is not a well known Champagne house either, but it is a another quite reasonable Champagne. Good acidity and a bubbly apply nose makes it perfect as an aperitif. Not sure about the availability, but the price is around 25€. Laurent Aubriot Brut, Champagne

Not the most expensive or well known Champagne, but no reason to steer away from this one. Vintage bubbles made from 100% Chardonnay gives a  delightful Champagne with overtones of apples and toast. Quite a rich and fruity taste that has a nice balanced acidity and good length. Very drinkable indeed and should go with most seafood and light meat. Launois 2005 Blanc de blancs, Champagne ca 260 NOK or 25€ .

You have friends and then you have friends with fantastic wines. What can I say Michel? Home made Foie Gras and 1968 d'Yquem? A truly lavish wine of extraordinary complexity. Rich, hugely extracted, with masses of fat and glycerin. Plenty of over-ripe tropical fruits, sweet abricot and honey. Wonderful astonishing length.  Subtle oak which is well-integrated on the palate with layers of ripe peaches and melon with a pure and lingering finish. Just wooonderful! Time just stood still.... Ch. d'Yquem 1968, Sauternes The 1989 will cost you 430 £....

Oaky and somewhat dusty smell. Well balanced and "slim" wine. Very nice acidity. Panel in doubt but question about the possibility of a Nebbiolo grape pops up. It is indeed a Nebbiolo, but from Lombardia and not Piemonte. In addition it is made from dried grapes (like the Amarone)! Very difficult! Sforzato de Valtellina 2006 Score 15.30

Deep dark purple colour. Dark berries, cherries and mint chocolate. Full bodied with soft tannins. Reminds me of an Amarone.. A very nice wine indeed. Panel is way out as it is from the Rhone valley. Gigondas 2009 by Guigal Score 17.60  Ca 20€ or 220 NOK

Dark red wine. Dark berries and wonderful cherries on the nose. Big and full bodied wine with firm tannins. Absolutely lovely stuff! Panel split, reminds us of a young Bordeaux but could also be a Super Tuscan? It is in fact a 100% Sangiovese (IGT) from Tuscany. Testamatta 2007, Tuscany Score 18,20 Price 650 NOK or 50€ for a table wine!!!

Dark red colour but with hints of brick red coloured rim. Big lovely taste of dried fruit, flowers, chocolate and hints of coffee. The taste is just incredible long with wonderful velvety finish. Top Nebbiolo ? It is indeed a Barolo by Giacosa. Single vineyard Falletto di Serralunga and bottle number 7895... Great stuff! Barolo 2005, Falletto by Bruno Giacosa Score 18,60 Ca 900 NOK or 80€. Fantastic selection by the host.

Giuseppe Rinaldi makes many different wines but they are all top quality in their class. Deep dark purple colour with a smell dominated by dark cherries, blueberries and leather. The wine is big, solid and packed with an elegant acidity and well integrated tannins. Long aftertaste. A truly great Barbera! Goes with most meat. Barbera d'Alba 2010, Rinaldi, NOK 240 or 20€ Top wine and producer, difficult to get hold of

Straw-yellow color packed with a fruit. Very attractive smell of wet bread drums, apples and minerals. This is 100% Chardonnay (Blanc de Blancs) and a really good and big Champagne at a reasonable price. Ca 260 NOK or perhaps 20€. Goes with most sea food dishes or on its own. Launois 2002, Blanc de Blancs Faboulous vintage Champagne at a very attractive price.

Visited Chapoutier last autumn and added up with a few bottles of his Condrieu. Condrieu is made from the grape Viognier and has a fantastic smell. The best ones are made by the small producers in Rhone, but this version by the big house of Chapoutier is "pas mal". Pale yellow colour with hints of green. Gorgeous smell of pear, abricot and white flowers. This is a fullbodied white with lovely balance and acidity and also some minerality. Condrieu "Invitare" 2009 Chapoutier 38€ Pas mal!!! and not cheap, but worth it